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Student assessments (Formative assessment (Definition: Given throughout…
Student assessments
Formative assessment
Definition: Given throughout the learning process and help to establish how students are progressing.
Purpose: Monitor students learning and provide on-going feedback. This is then used to improve teaching (by guiding instruction) and learning (through personalisation). Used as an assessment for learning as these are part of the process, not an 'end product'.
Advantages: Helps teachers learn what students actually know, students get more of a chance to see what each other know, potential to create more open and communicative classroom environment, improves engagement.
Disadvantages: Potentially time consuming, must actually use the information about students, can be reduced to 'exit slips' if no proper training and guidance given.
Examples: Pre-K: Cubing. Students practice a key question and answer using a dice. There are 6 question or answer types with a number next to it. Students roll the dice and use the number to inform the question or answer.
More examples: exit slips, mind maps, true/false games or quizzes
Summative assessment
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Purpose: Not used during the process but after it. Used to assign grades and those then tell you whether students are achieving the learning goal or not. Used as an assessment of learning. It is an assessment of the 'product' and not the 'process'. The end result.
Examples: Kindergarten/Pre-K: Students create a scrapbook or portfolio from the unit. The body of a work is assessed as a whole.
Students could also make a infographic about what they've learned during the unit individually or as a team.
Portfolios of work throughout the year can be used to assess how students have performed.
Advantages: gives insight into teaching practice in the class (e.g. if most students do badly or well), gives students motivation to do well - especially older students who need good grades for college or employment reasons.
Disadvantages: No detailed feedback on the test (just a score), pressure and nerves can influence results negatively, reflects strong on teachers so they often just 'teach the test' to the detriment of other areas.
Self assessments
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Purpose: To help students identify there strengths and weaknesses. Self assessment can be considered an assessment for learning in that these assessments can help students look at the process of learning. If done mid-unit, students can see the areas they need to work on next. However, you could also use a self-assessment at the end of a unit and it be more like an assessment of learning.
Advantages: Students can identify their own skills gaps and where they need to improve, review their work where appropriate, track their own progress and set goals for the future. If the course is online, they can decide whether to review or move on to the next level.
Disadvantages: content goals for teachers aren't appropriate for many students so teachers should translate or simplify these for students. If students aren't coached in how to self assess the process won't be as valuable or work as well.
Examples: For elementary level, a class could use muddy point board. This is a board in class where students can stick any points they aren't sure about. It's mostly anonymous. It could include pictures or written work. Students questions are displayed and the teacher could also display the answer.
Diagnostic assessment
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Purpose: Determine students understanding and knowledge of a topic . Can be used to identify strengths and weaknesses before starting the unit and allows teachers to adjust accordingly. It is an assessment of learning as it looks at what students already know about something.
Advantages: Allows teachers to adjust curriculum and lessons to meet student needs. Teachers can clearly see what students already know and don't know. Useful for teachers to show how they've adapted instruction to student needs.
Disadvantages: Pressure may influence results, it isn't a very interesting or engaging way to start a unit or topic.
An example for Kindergarten or grade one would be a class survey (oral or written). For work in China, a survey would be adaptable for many different ages. In my pre-k class a verbal survey would work. In the class above a tick/check box survey could work well too.
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High stakes assessment
Definition: Designed to measure whether or not content and performance standards have been achieved.
Purpose: Used to make important decisions about students (e.g. college entrance). Used to hold individuals and institutions responsible for performance and to reward achievement. This is an assessment of learning as it concerns the 'product' not the process. It looks at what students have learned over a period of time.
Advantages: Motivation for teachers and students, helps align and focus standards, curriculum and assessments, provides useful data for teachers and admin, improves public perception.
Disadvantage: Motivation from high stakes assessment is superficial and short lived, these assessments provide limited guidance for future instruction, teachers tend to be judged by these tests so devote more and more time to them. This leads to a narrowing of curriculum and reduction in creativity. Test companies are profit making and thus, more tests is better for them but not necessarily for learning or education.
Example: It's hard to find an example of high stakes testing at kindergarten level. Some Kindergarten tests do have entrance exams that are usually oral. Students are asked to do a task or complete something while the teacher observes. Sometimes these also take the form of assessed play. At higher levels, these are tests like SAT's, GCSE's or A-levels.
Peer assessment
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Purpose: This is often used as learning tool and, as such, can be considered an assessment for learning rather than of learning. Students need to be given appropriate language beforehand and this could be displayed as posters on the wall.
Advantages: This kind of assessment can enhance evaluators own learning, motivate students, provide those being evaluated with new ideas and strategies to improve. This also personalises the learning experience. It can give teachers more information on student performance.
Disadvantage: Peer assessment can vary considerably, it can potentially be influenced by friendship groups, students need clear guidelines and training in order to give effective feedback. Students might be shy or unwilling to give feedback at first, without suitable guidance and training from the teacher.
Examples: At elementary level, students can break off into groups and present a piece of work (e.g. a report or poster) to their classmates. The classmates give positive and constructive feedback. The students can then go away and make any adjustments before submission.
Authentic assessments
Definition: This type of assessment is as an approach to measure student performance in a direct, relevant way to see if the learning objectives were met.
Purpose: It attempts to give students the opportunity to demonstrate what a they actually learn in class rather than their ability to do well in tests. The goal is to let students use and gain knowledge during tasks or projects that both mirror real world experience and would benefit students in their lives.
Advantages: Help students analyse what they've learned and apply it to their own experience. Students can use what they've learned creatively, rather than just memorising facts. These assessments can improve collaboration, students feel the work as real value so rise to the occasion. Combines teaching, learning and assessments
Disadvantages: The nature of the assessment means subjectivity of the teacher plays a major role. A standardised test could be argued provides more level, unbiased playing field. This kind of assessment can also be very time and resource intensive.
Examples: For this style of assessment , students need a context based on real life. For example, they could be tasked with designing a video game that helps the next year level students practice and learn a particular math concept.
Portfolio
Purpose: A portfolio can be seen as both a product as it holds a record of student work and as a process in that it enables students to monitor, reflect and gain feedback on their learning. As a result, we can say this is both an assessment for learning and of learning.
Advantages: assessment by portfolio is more authentic. Students get the chance to demonstrate their learning with a sustained piece of work not just a one off test. As it's a longer term project, students may feel it's fairer than other forms of assessments. Encourages self-reflection and autonomy. Portfolios carry little risk of plagiarism.
Disadvantages: Has the potential to be a burden on students if not properly explained and managed, grading the students work can be very time consuming, grading can also be difficult as portfolios are often an expression of an individuals creativity. Interpretation involves a high degree of subjectivity and it's potential.
Examples: At a very basic level, a portfolio is just a collection of student artefacts or work put together. They often have a contents or some kind of reflective piece. Students usually select what they put in them. In my kindergarten, we use physical portfolios. The teachers select the work to put in them in order to show a wide range of skills and interests. As well as student work from classes, students photos or their own drawings etc can be put inside. These are used as an assessment tool and also as something to show parents during their parent meetings.
Definition: A portfolio is a collection of student work, often edited, with some kind of contents or reflection. They can be hard copy folders or, increasingly, digital using an APP such as 'seesaw'.